– The family of 17-year-old Tunchanok Donhomla filed a civil claim last week seeking 1.65 million baht (about 70,000 Australian dollars) from Simon Peter Carman for funeral costs and lost future support.
– At Pattaya Provincial Court on Monday, the 12th of October, Carman, 45, from Perth, pleaded guilty to concealing a corpse but not guilty to intentional murder and related charges. The family saw him in person for the first time.
– Police say autopsy results showed death by suffocation and brain injury. Carman has claimed self-defence after an alleged knife threat over money; he denies intent to kill.
– Civil and criminal matters are being heard together. Compensation would depend on a criminal conviction. The court has given the case priority.
Pattaya: The family of a 17-year-old Thai girl whose body was found in a suitcase near Pattaya railway tracks in June has filed a civil damages claim of about 70,000 Australian dollars against the Australian man, Simon Peter Carman, 45, accused of killing her, as he appeared in court on Monday October 12th and pleaded guilty only to concealing her corpse after previously pleading not guilty to all charges.
Simon Peter Carman was brought in shackles to Pattaya Provincial Court for a procedural hearing to designate witnesses. Family members, including the victim’s father, Thongchai Donhomla, and aunt Miruntree Thanachai, attended and saw him face to face for the first time. Outside court, Thongchai said he felt angry hearing Carman deny the charges and claim self-defence, adding that he wanted to punch him. The family has said they want the law applied to the fullest extent.
Carman, who turns 46 later this month, faces charges of intentional or premeditated murder, which can carry life imprisonment or the death penalty, plus counts involving a minor for indecent purposes and concealing or moving a corpse. He previously pleaded not guilty to all counts. On Monday the judge, noting CCTV evidence, urged him to plead guilty to concealing the body. He agreed. He refused to plead guilty to murder, telling the court he would be lying if he did so and that the teenager was responsible for her own death. He has maintained that she produced a knife during a dispute over money at his condominium, that he acted in self-defence, and that he never had sex with her. Police earlier reported a partial admission that he had strangled her but did not intend to kill her. An autopsy found death by suffocation with a brain injury.
The civil claim, filed on Friday, seeks 1.65 million baht. Family members have said the sum would cover funeral expenses and compensate for the financial support Tunchanok, known as Cake, would have given her father in the future. A cousin told Australian media that nobody wants money; they want her life back. Under Thai practice, a civil claim linked to a criminal case can be heard together with the criminal proceedings without separate court fees in certain circumstances.
An official from the Office of Rights Protection and Legal Aid said compensation would only be awarded if Carman is convicted criminally, and that the cases will be decided together. The court is treating the matter as a priority because it involves a foreign tourist, with resolution expected in the first half of 2027. Carman is represented by a lawyer retained by his mother and remains in Pattaya Remand Prison. Bail has been refused.
Tunchanok, from Kalasin province in the northeast, had been in Pattaya on holiday. She met Carman on the beach, according to accounts, and went with him to his condominium in the early hours. CCTV showed them entering together hand in hand; later footage showed him leaving with a suitcase. The body was found near railway tracks. He was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport in late June while trying to board a flight to Perth.
The family has said they are devastated and that they hope he continues to contest the murder charge so the full evidence can be tested.